I stumbled onto these website last week and couldn't believe what a help they were.
First of all, they filled in some of the gaps - concerning the times during the Civil War - what
was going on at home with the wives and mothers while the men were off fighting the battles?
http://ourgeorgiahistory.com/This site lists events in Georgia History by year.... I found out that on February 22, 1819 Spain agrees to cede Florida to the U. S. Government, finally ending the threat of Spanish invasion of Georgia from Florida. That made me start to think about one particular ancestor who had dropped off the Georgia map for me about that time... guess what? I found him in Florida. Guess when that territory opened up - it was too good to pass up - so he packed up the family and moved south.
http://ourgeorgiahistory.com/year/I also found out that in 1965 and 66 the state of Georgia was hit hard with several dissasters - flooding and a small pox epidemic that swept the state. That came at the same time that my ancestor, Andrew Jackson Becton - returned home - just in time for his 3 year old son to die of (as of yet) unexplained causes. So I am wondering if it could have been connected to the small pox epidemic? It has given me one more puzzle piece and a direction to continue researching.
"The Southern Homefront, 1861-1865," presents documents related to all aspects of Southern life during the Civil War. This collection includes over four hundred Civil War era maps, broadsides, photographs, printed works, Confederate currency, and manuscript letters and diaries.
http://docsouth.unc.edu/imls/index.htmlHope these sites help somebody else.